Redeemed
by themcnasty
Summary: A post season 3 finale story. It's not the thrill of the chase...it's her tiny ineffectual fists. Instead of letting her go, he chases and wins her back. What happens along the way? How does it happen? What does the future hold? MerDer mostly.
1. Redeemed

A/N: This takes place about two days after the season 3 finale, and will progress from there.

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"Meredith!"

That was all I heard as I walked down the hallway of Seattle Grace Hospital, attempting to adjust to my new position as a resident. Gone were the harrowing days of being a first year intern, with attendings breathing down our backs (literally for some of us), pressuring us to rack our brains for the right answer, the right dosage. If it wasn't what they wanted to hear, we'd be bumped from the procedure and given a different case, where hopefully we could succeed. No, I was no longer one of them - a scared, babyish intern, trying to survive in the wilderness of the surgical floor. I was a resident, I had my own interns to boss around, to pressure, to scare the crap out of and send them running for the hills. I enjoyed my newfound power, and while I was nowhere near Nazi status (that was Cristina, of course), I found myself pretty intimidating to the eager, young, naïve interns. Despite my new power, as I walked down the hallway that day; as I heard that ever-familiar voice call my name, the strong façade I had built for myself suddenly came crashing down. That voice, that deep voice that evoked the fulfillment of my wildest desires, that filled me with so much pleasure and yet so much hate at the same time, broke my peaceful thoughts and the façade I had worked so hard to create.

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes closing as I took a few deep breaths. _In, out. In, out. _I repeated this to myself as I turned, as slow as I could, to face the man that filled my heart with so much love, and so much despair at the same time.

"Derek," I said, my voice steady and even, thankfully not betraying my heart, which danced wildly in my chest. I realized I called him Derek, and cleared my throat at once. "Erm. Uh. I mean. Dr. Shepherd. What is it that you need?"

His head cocked to the side, grinning stupidly at me. The McDreamy Smile. God, the man should patent it and slap it with a warning for all the good it's done to me over the past year. I refused to submit to his charms and kept a steady, professional gaze on the gorgeous specimen of a man who stood beside me, who once was mine. Who probably still was mine; I simply didn't care to find out just yet. Of course I loved him; despite what I told my friends, I was still madly in love with him. I was so in love with him, in fact, that I ran from him. My logic was amazing to me. I was so in love with him, yet so afraid to love him, that I lost him. I didn't bother listening to that nagging little voice in my head, that voice which told me to let him have his way with me in an on-call room in ten minutes.

"Meredith, uhm, Dr. Grey. I was hoping I could speak to you." His eyes glanced at their surroundings, where several nurses tittered and whispered at their station, whatever jobs they should have been doing at that moment abandoned as they watched the two most talked-about people in the hospital interact. His eyes fell back to Meredith, raising a brow. "Privately, that is." When nothing registered on my face, he walked towards me. Terrified that he was going to kiss me and make a spectacle in front of everyone, I turned my head to the side and looked down a bit, so when he walked by his lips managed to whisper in my ear. "Meet me in the on-call room on the third floor in ten minutes," he whispered, and I let my guard down for a moment as I straightened up, watching him continue his way down the hall. That man would surely be the death of me someday.

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So, what did you think? It's okay if you hated it; this is my first ever fan-fiction. Upcoming chapters will be longer, better, and explain more things. Obviously this chapter was in Meredith's point of view; I haven't decided if I'll switch between her and Derek, or keep her. Suggestions? Praise? Criticism? Press the purple/blue button and review, please! I'm eager to hear what others think.


	2. All I Want Is You

A/N: I was shocked by the reviews I got from you guys! I'm glad you are enjoying the small bit I have so far; I was incredibly nervous to see how people would react, but I'm thrilled it's positive! Like someone suggested, I'll be switching off between Derek and Meredith's point of views over the whole story. It'll be easy to tell who's POV it is, and thus I will not be saying it at the top of each chapter.

I'm going to try my best to post a chapter up everyday. This weekend I'm going down to my sister's, and there is a three hour drive to get there. So...I'm taking my laptop in the car with me to write another chapter or three for you lovely fans!

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After leaving Meredith, I continued walking down the length of the hallway, pretending as if I had a specific goal in mind. Well, I did have a specific goal in mind, but nothing surgical. No, my goal involved the ever-mysterious Meredith Grey, who I was determined to win back at all costs. Although, really, was it truly winning her back if we weren't officially broken up in the first place? Her words at the failed Yang/Burke nuptials echoed through my mind. _It's over, it's so over._ I of course took it to mean that not only was the wedding over, but we were over, too. There had been that small, nagging question in the back of my brain since it happened. Did she truly mean we were over? Or am I just being a brainless brain surgeon, as always. I wanted answers, I wanted her, and damnit, I was going to get them. As I stepped into the elevator, I snuck one last glance at Meredith, still motionless in the middle of the hallway. Her back was towards me, but I knew. I knew she was debating whether or not to take me up on my offer, weighing the possibilities of what I could possibly want from her there.

Ten minutes later, I found myself lying on a bed in the aforementioned on-call room, willing her to open that door so we could talk. It seemed like an eternity, filled with me running my fingers through my hair, before I heard the telltale jiggle of the doorknob. I started and turned to look at the door, as I saw one tiny, ineffectual fist peek through the crack that had been created when it was opened. Her head poked through next, a sheepish and adorable smile gracing her face for a moment, before being replaced by a stern look. After closing the door, I heard a click. She had locked it. Clearly, she knew how important this conversation would be and didn't want to be disturbed by anyone unnecessary walking into the room. I gestured to her, patting the space beside me, but she stood firmly at the door.

"Whatever you want to say, Derek, say it. I can hear you perfectly fine from where I am at the moment." I sighed at her words, feeling defeated before I even began. At that moment, I had no idea what I was going to say to her, the love of my life. I cleared my throat, taking another few moments as I gazed at her, studying her features, her body. She was gorgeous. How could I be so stupid? I could breathe for her. I couldn't do it all the time, but I could do it when she needed me to. I could provide trust and stability, two things she never had growing up and was struggling with at this very moment. I could give her a place in this world, somewhere she needed to be.

"Meredith," I began, taking another deep breath. "Meredith. I'm not giving up on us. Yours words…your parting words at the wedding. I've had two days to think about them, and I still don't know what you meant by them." Her mouth opened to speak, to explain, to shoot a witty retort in my direction, but I held up a hand to stop her. "I don't care what you meant by them. All I care about…is you. I love you, Meredith Grey. I love you, I love everything about you. I'm not about to let you go, not this easily. If I'm going to let you go, it's going to be after a long, hard chase, when I can't possibly chase after you anymore. I refuse to let that happen. Fight for us, Meredith. I'm just a guy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him. To let him in. To open up, and love him with no holding back." My eyes never left her face, and so once I finished my little speech, I blinked. I blinked back a few tears I didn't know were there, and I noticed she was crying. She was silent, with tears running down her face, her lips pressed tightly together as she held back a sob. I couldn't read her emotions, her fears, what she wanted. Hell, I didn't even know if these tears were happy tears, or if they were tears because she simply couldn't do it anymore. Couldn't fight with our sickly relationship anymore.

I was about to turn away from her, to focus on the wall and basically pretend as if I hadn't opened my mouth, when I saw her move, without hesitation, towards me.

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There you have it! Another chapter to feed your appetite. I threw in a bit of a cliffhanger, and I do hope the sap wasn't too much. It just seemed like a very Meredith and Derek thing to write, so I did. Next chapter or two should be posted later today, so keep reading and reviewing! Feel free to add some suggestions. 


	3. Here In Your Arms

A/N: Okay, I wrote this in the car on the way to my aunts house, so I apologize for anything that doesn't make sense, or what have you. If you do find something like that, don't hesitate to tell me! I already started to write the 4th chapter, so I hope to have that up tonight, and maybe another chapter or three up tomorrow.

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I surprised even myself by my sudden, quick movement towards the bottom bunk where Derek lay. Surprised, yes, but 100 sure of myself and what I was doing. I gently sat next to him, my legs stretching out and my body leaning back, as I turned and snuggled up to him. I was tired of the avoiding, the fighting, the uncertainty – I wanted him, I loved him, and damnit I deserved this. I deserved to be happy.

I felt his strong arms wrap around me, and I finally let a sob choke out. Definitely a happy sob, I thought, as he turned towards me and pulled me close to him, as if he never wanted to let me go. Which was a good thing, seeing as how I never wanted to let him go and I didn't intend to.

Relaxing in his arms, I felt myself slowly drifting off to sleep. The past week had been hectic, with the death of Susan and the subsequent estrangement from my father once again. Throwing the failed wedding of Cristina and Burke into the mix, and my confusion and avoidance of Derek….well, let's just say that I was exhausted. His fingers raked through my hair gently, slowly, as he placed kisses to my forehead. "I love you, Derek," I whispered, content in the moment and with my life. For now, at least.

"I love you too, Meredith," I heard him whisper to me, his voice tender and loving as we lay in the moment, both of us somehow knowing we would be okay from this moment out. In the next moment, however, the door opened gently, and an intern stepped in. She was quite pretty, with mid-neck length brown hair, and a round, delicate-looking face. She wore her pale-blue scrubs with dignity, not seeming to mind the humiliation and horror or being an intern. She looked familiar to me, as if I had known her my whole life, and yet I had neither met or seen her before. Derek looked at her for a moment, raising a brow, as the girl stepped into the room and the light from the hallway illuminated her. "Um. Uh. I hope I'm not disturbing anything important."

I was somewhat annoyed by her, because indeed she had interrupted something important, but I brushed off my annoyance. "Um, no. Not really. Who are you? Who's intern are you?" Okay, so I was being kind of rude to her. I should at least know her name before I begin to judge her, right? It seemed most logical to me, and actually very sweet of me to do.

"I'm Lexie. Lexie Grey." My heart caught in my throat, and my breath came out as a slight gasp. The look on my face must have told her what I had just come to the conclusion of. "And you must be my sister." Shock and awe dawned upon both of us, as Derek let out an odd sound from next to me. His arms were still wrapped around me, holding me to him, but with that small sound, I knew. I knew Lexie had been the girl from the bar the other night. My sister, Lexie. Hitting on my boyfriend, Derek. Trying to pick him up. Hey, I had to say, she was definitely my sister. At that moment, thankfully, I was saved by my pager. I looked down and checked it; it was a 911 for one of my patients. Thrilled to have an excuse to get out of this awkward situation, I planted a kiss on Derek's lips, promising to meet him in a bit for lunch. I gave a slight smile to my sister, my half-sister, who I knew I would be working with sooner rather than later, and rushed out of the on-call room towards my patient.

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A/N: So, I tried to do an Addison-type thing for how they find out about Lexie. I personally think it works nicely, but you guys can be the judge of that. Hrm...keep reading and reviewing! I'm so proud of the positive feedback I've received so far; it urges me to continue writing. 


	4. Sparks

A/N: I won't lie, the lack of reviews from the last chapter are a little discouraging, but I refuse to be one of those writers who won't post an update until they reach a certain number of reviews. I don't think that's entirely fair to the readers; I personally hate when people do that, but to each their own? I know the story is a bit slow in developing; it'll move along faster now that the initial introductions and repairing relationships have happened.

Anyway, I already have chapter 5 written, I'm just not sure if I'll post it tonight or wait until tomorrow morning to post it. I'm heading back home tomorrow, and maybe if I post it in the morning, I can have some feedback waiting when I get home? Again, I'm not begging for reviews; this is simply my first fic, and I want to see how I'm doing :P

Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, any of the Grey's Anatomy characters, places, situations, etc. This is simply a product of an adoring fan wanting to take matters into her own hands ;)

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I watched Meredith go, still in awe about this girl from the bar not only turning up as an intern, but also being the half-sister of my girlfriend. Talk about serious deja-vu! This was not good for anyone at all. Unless, of course, Lexie decided to stop pursuing myself, and she and Meredith made nice. Maybe Lexie would know it wasn't Meredith's fault her mother died. Maybe they could bond over how irrational their father was! It was a possibility, right? I could see them now, bonding like siblings should. Like I used to bond with my own sisters, before we ended up wanting to kill eachother and I ran off to Seattle. I chuckled to myself at this thought; Lexie and Meredith friends! Best friends! The type who go shopping together, buy matching outfits, giggle over boyfriends. Okay, now I was getting ahead of myself. Meredith was 27, not 17, and Lexie was 26. Maybe a bit young and immature, seeing as how she was a brand-new intern and lacked the experience Meredith did, but in retrospect, they were mature adults.

It took me another moment until I realized Lexie was still standing there, watching me intently, studying me, almost as if trying to get a perfect judge of my character, knowing who I was. She took a deep breath, biting on her lip and tugging on the end of her hair, looking very much like Meredith in that moment, simply with darker hair.

"You know…" she started, biting down harder on her lip. This was awkward for both of us, I could tell, maybe even more awkward for her seeing as how she had been hitting on her half-sisters boyfriend. She took another deep breath and slowly let it out, exchanging a smile with me. "Mom always liked you. You know, Susan…Dad liked you too, I could tell. Even if everything has been shot to hell with him and Meredith, I know you were a reason why they began to speak again." Sighing, she took a seat on a stray chair across the room, and I could sense her reasons for not sitting closer radiating from her. "I know it wasn't her fault. I know it wasn't anyone's fault. Getting dad to recognize that…is a lot harder than it seems." Another small smile came from her, before I think she realized that our conversation was incredibly awkward, and froze once again. "Oh wow, Dr. Shepherd, I'm sorry. I'll. Um. I have to run…you know…intern duties call. I guess…I'll be seeing you around? You and Meredith…maybe…" And with that, she turned and positively fled for her life from the on-call room, which had seemingly become all the more claustrophobic.

I left the room shortly after that, still boggled by the girl from the bar turning into Meredith's sister, and my newly repaired relationship with Mere, that I refused to fuck up this time. We would be together forever, I knew. I wanted it, I could tell she wanted it, it was perfect. The time was now, carpe diem, and all that crap that I had never truly believed in until I met Meredith.

As I passed the nurses station I heard them twittering with gossip, so I grabbed a chart off the desk. Luckily it was one of my patients, pre-op for removal of a benign tumor on his frontal lobe. The only problem was…I needed an intern on the case. I already had a resident, in the form of Meredith, and I knew the perfect intern to complete our little tag team. Backtracking to the nurse's station, I caught Olivia as she sat eating Chinese food and doing paperwork.

"Olivia, would you please page Lexie Grey for me?" I flashed her a smile, not the McDreamy smile – more of a "if you do this I will make your life easier" smile – and waited for her to page Lexie for me. This was going to be quite the interesting surgery indeed.

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A/N: I know. Lexie and Meredith, both scrubbing in. What can I say? I had to! 


	5. Livin' On a Prayer

A/N: Honestly, I'm in awe over the fact that people are enjoying my story, and they want me to continue! So, here is chapter 5 before I get into the car once again for the journey home.

Disclaimer: If I owned Grey's Anatomy, Derek and Meredith would have stayed together.

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As I stumbled through the halls on the way to my 911 page, my mind was like an ocean after a hurricane – jumbled, displaced, swarming with thoughts. Lexie? Lexie Grey? Here? An intern? Why hadn't Susan or my father told me? Why did Chief Webber not inform me? Why does no one ever tell me anything anymore!? I know I had been stressed lately, with my mother dying, Susan dying, my re-estrangement with Thatcher, the intern test, and just about everything else going on in my life, but seriously! A page, an e-mail, even a post-it stuck to my locker would have been nice. I was never one to receive such courteous forms of sharing information, so it seemed fitting, somehow, for her to stumble upon myself and Derek as we tried to nap.

Upon reaching my patient's room, I found the crash team had saved him and he was breathing normally again, his heart rate steady and even. I reassured the scared intern assigned to the case, instructing her to page me if anything else changed, but that I would be in surgery for the next few hours and only page me if nothing else worked. With that, I turned from the room and headed towards the elevator bank, waiting for one to arrive to transport me to the OR floor. Of course, it took forever, and while I was waiting another person joined me, another person who just so happened to have the same father as me. I turned towards Lexie, forcing a somewhat pleasant smile onto my face, which nowhere near matched the true smile that graced her own. I could tell she had Susan's demeanor, her manners, her politeness, and I realized just how hard it would be to hate her. Maybe I didn't have to hate her. Maybe…just maybe…we could make nice. We could convince Dad to make amends, to have him realize Susan's death was not my fault. I snorted, knowing what the chances of having him apologize to me where, which only earned a strange look from Lexie, who raised an eyebrow in my direction.

"I'm sorry," I started, still giggly over this thought, a genuine smile spreading across my lips. "It's just…I was thinking about Dad…and Susan. And how we could try and convince him I didn't kill her…but I know I have a better chance of being struck by lightening than I have for him to forgive me." I bit hard on my lip and looked up at Lexie, shaking my head hard.

"Oh, wow, I shouldn't mention her. Too soon, I have no right or whatever…" Trailing off, I finally fell silent again, feeling all the more awkward around this sister of mine.

"No," she said, her voice surprising me. I had expected her to be annoyed with me, to completely disregard anything I said to her. After all, as Thatcher put it, I killed Susan. I killed Lexie's mother, and I have no right. "Mom loved you for the short time she knew you. All she wanted was for you to open up, let her be your mother, but she also understood why you couldn't and didn't." A bittersweet laugh escaped from her lips as she gave her head a little shake. "It wasn't your fault, Meredith. Dr. Grey? I don't know what to call you. But it wasn't your fault. You didn't know. From what I hear, you weren't even on her case." She shrugged, looking up as her eyes met mine. We had the same eyes. A mixture of grey, green, and blue, all three colors at once and yet, never one at one time. "God, if the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger' could be used to describe one single situation, it would have been that." A smirk played across her lips, reaching her eyes as she stepped into the elevator, with me trailing behind her. I was amazed by this sister; she seemed perfect. Not only in looks, but in personality too. She was sweet, forgiving, smart, understanding…and yet, somehow, I knew she was tough enough for surgery. She was definitely my sister, no matter how much I had once wished she and Molly, her sister, weren't.

"What floor do you need?" she inquired, her perfectly manicured fingertips hovering over the buttons. I noticed them, knowing that the manicure and silky-smooth skin on her hands would be gone by the end of the week.

"Four," I replied, having checked the board for what OR I was to be in for my surgery with Derek.

"Ohh! That's where I'm going, too!" She flashed a grin at me, her eagerness becoming a breath of fresh air, instead of the immaturity most people associated with it. "Dr. Shepherd has requested I be his intern for today, and has invited to me scrub in."

This, of course, raised a few alarms within me. I knew she had been the girl from the bar, and that was a bit shocking to me, of course. I just simply hadn't expected to be working with her so soon; we had just found eachother merely 20 minutes ago! I also knew, however, that I could trust Derek. His heartbreaking speech to me in the on-call room gave me the trust I had needed, a bit of stability, and full confidence in him. This wasn't about wanting to sleep with Lexie. This was about being a good teacher. This was about making sure my sister had the best to guide her along her journey as a surgical intern, and Derek could and would provide that for her.

"Luckily for you," I began tentatively, nervous about actually saying this, "I too am scrubbing in with Dr. Shepherd. Derek?" I shrugged, chewing on the end of my ragged fingernail, leaving it even more ragged than before.

"Derek," she repeated, pressing her lips together slightly, dancing around the subject we both knew we shouldn't bring up. "Look, Dr. Grey…"

"Call me Meredith," I said, giving her a warm smile. She could call me Meredith. My new liking for people? It extended into my family. I was damn proud of myself.

"Oh. Okay. Well, look Meredith…I didn't know." She hung her head, leaning against the back wall of the elevator. "I didn't know he was taken. I didn't know he was taken by my sister, no less. He didn't know my name, and he certainly didn't know I was your sister. So..I'm sorry. I'm really, truly sorry, Meredith." In that moment, she looked so much like a child who lost her puppy, I wanted to hug her. But I didn't. Meredith Grey did not hug her family, especially family she had known for about a half hour. So, instead, I nodded my forgiveness, giving a wave of my hand to let her know all was okay.

After what seemed like forever, the elevator reached our destination and we stepped out, heading towards the OR together, and the scrub room. After scrubbing in, I stepped into the OR first, a Scrub Nurse gowning and gloving me. I took my place next to Derek, near the brain of the person we were to be operating on, and exchanged a smile with him. He gave me a bit of a nod, raising his eyebrows in my direction. Somehow, I knew what he wanted me to do.

"It's a beautiful day to save lives, let's have some fun."

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A/N: Yes, that was Meredith saying Derek's line! I thought that would be a nice touch, a happy ending to my chapter...which was happy to begin with, for the most part. There WILL be some drama in this story, some sad situations, but these two are staying together no matter what. 


	6. Your Body Is a Wonderland

Upon exiting the surgery, I was in a perpetual euphoric state. My first surgery as a resident, and I had practically flown solo! I was on top of the world, what with Derek and I being back on, myself and Lexie somehow getting along, and of course the surgery. Everyone talked about surgery highs, but I myself had never personally experienced one until today. It was an amazing feeling, I thought to myself, as I scrubbed myself out of surgery, preparing to head to the cafeteria for some much-needed lunch after checking in with my own set of interns. I felt a pair of arms snake around my waist as I became lost in my thoughts, and I saw his reflection slightly in the window of the scrub room.

"Mmm, Derek," I groaned, his lips pressing into the spot that did it for me, this spot on my neck by my jawbone.

"Not here, Der! Not when we can't exactly run off and have our way with each other!" I giggled, not being able to help myself as he trailed kisses down my jawbone and neck, stopping dangerously near my collarbone. I sighed, turning around and pressing my lips firmly to his, pulling back just as suddenly as I had leaned in, leaving him hot and bothered, too, although I'm sure not as hot and bothered as I was in this moment.

"That's what you get," I whispered against his lips, winking as I waltzed out of the room, somehow, finally, content with the life I led. Sure, I had my father and family crap to deal with, but my love life was back on track, and the family thing…well, Lexie was a sweetheart. I liked her, I couldn't deny that. She and I weren't best friends, but we were friendly, and I liked that. I could see us becoming close, but not yet. It was far too soon, I had just met her, yadda yadda yadda.

I don't know how, but in the midst of my thinking, I had ended up in the cafeteria. It was raining outside; an awful, soaking downpour, so eating out there was completely out of the question. I sighed and ran a hand through my long, honey-colored hair. It was nearly always raining here, and if it wasn't raining, it looked as if it were going to rain. I, of course, loved it. I was born here, and I lived here until I was five. Living in Boston, it never rained as much as it did here and I recall missing it for years. Shaking my head a bit, I joined the line to buy food, and a few minutes later I was sitting down with my friends, a tray with a slice of pizza, chocolate pudding, and a diet coke placed in front of me, a jubilant look gracing my face.

"Oh my god, Meredith, did they do brain surgery on you to erase all your bad memories?"

I snapped my head up, looking into the eyes of Cristina Yang, my person, my best friend, whatever the hell you wanted to call her. Cristina was quite the satirical woman, terrified of commitment and yet, she was one of the few people in this world who understood me to an extent. She was also the woman who had been left at the altar merely two days ago, and had screamed and cried in relief that everything was over.

"No…why? Why would I ever need that?"

All three of my friends stared at me in disbelief, until Izzie finally rose a single eyebrow. Isobel Stevens, or Izzie as we called her, was every man's fantasy. Tall, thin, blonde…she was perfect – a woman who modeled her way through medical school to pay off the extensive debts her own mother could not pay. Men wanted her, women wanted to be her. It always boggled my mind that she was single.

"But Meredith…are you forgetting your past? Dark? Twisty? Damaged from years of neglect from your mother and abandonment from your father?" She was always outspoken, which was amusing for us, considering her features and the rest of her personality.

I took a deep breath, eyeing all three of them, attempting to wipe the smile from my face. Of course, it didn't work. I was enjoying this, enjoying this feeling of complete happiness.

"No, I'm not forgetting it. I just…" I trailed off, the smile overpowering now. "Derek and I," I blurted out, surprising even myself. "Derek and I are perfect. Wonderfully perfect. Together, happy, in it for the long run. We want it, we know we want it, and damnit, we're going to have it!"

The three stooges sat there, completely dumbfounded. I know, it was most likely difficult for them to see me as anything but scary and damaged, but for once I was happy and I was probably scaring the crap out of them.

"Oh yeah, and which one of you dip shits didn't inform me that you're the resident of my half-sister, Lexie?"

Alex's mouth dropped open this time, closing it almost immediately.

"Oops. That…would have been me. You see, I was trying so hard not sleep with her, that it completely slipped my mind that you two were related." He looked down sheepishly, before grabbing the greasy cheese which had fallen off of his own pizza.

I rolled my eyes at Alex's horniness, sighing slightly. I didn't really give a crap right now. I was happy. Happy! I hadn't used that word to describe myself in years, so this was kind of a shocking moment. I finished up my pizza, standing up as I addressed my friends.

"Iz, Alex? I'm not coming home tonight. Well, uh. I'll be there to grab some things. But…I'll be at Derek's tonight." I turned towards Cristina next, looking at her. Her eyebrows weren't much more than the smallest amount of stubble, and I tried not to laugh.

"Cristina, call me if you need me for anything. Or you know. If he comes back…" Although I doubt he will, I added silently to myself. We all knew everyone was better off without Burke.

With that, I turned and walked off, not even noticing the person who I crashed into. As I looked up into those eyes, I let out a slight gasp, the owner of them being someone I didn't expect to see ever again.


	7. Affirmation

"Addison!" I gasped, regaining my senses and throwing my arms around her. I think the gesture shocked both of us, but I didn't really care. I thought she was gone forever; I had only seen her two days ago, but we had been told she was transferring to Los Angeles.

"What are you doing here!?" I questioned, not even respecting the attending/resident relationship. As if either of us truly cared anymore, after all we had been through this past year regarding ourselves and our relationships?

"Grey. Meredith?" Again, another person who had no idea what to call me.

"Meredith," I repeated, giving her a nod as we moved out of the doorway we had been occupying.

"Meredith," she said, a broad smile gracing her face. "Oh, you know. I left my manwhore behind, and…well. I love him. I love Mark Sloane. Scary, huh?" She grinned, knowing perfectly well that she was in a dangerous situation, if she loved Mark Sloane. Then again, I was in an equally dangerous position, loving Derek Shepherd, her ex husband.

Addison was the type of woman who could, and did, have everything she could ever want at her fingertips. Wealthy, gorgeous, famous…everything she could ever want in life, including her personal choice of man, and she loved Mark Sloane. Sure, she had cheated with him on Derek, but…she loved him. Could you really blame her? Despite how much of an asshole he was, Mark Sloane had a select few redeeming qualities, which he showed mostly around Addison. But with this, my mouth dropped open.

"Oh, Addison…" I said, trailing off slightly. I had been on my way to the locker room, to change and go home, but obviously all thoughts of that were gone now.

"I know, Meredith. I know. But…I want him. I want it, I want us, I want to grow old with him, have a family with him, and all that stuff. Everything you and Derek want with eachother." The smile, the look, on her face, was enough. It was enough for me to be beyond thrilled for her, which I was. She was radiant, blissful looking, even. Everything in this hospital was falling back into place, and it was perfect. Balance was being restored to Seattle Grace Hospital, and I could already feel the air changing for the better. Who knew what the next few months, hell, weeks, would hold for the people here!? I hoped all would be good, seeing as how none of us really deserved anymore heartache than had already happened to us thus far.

"I, um. Oh, Addison, it's just nice to know you'll be staying here after all. Maybe you can convince Derek to take the offer of chief that has been handed to him on a silver platter, and he declined. Declined! The man is insane…but the insanity is all mine." I grinned, somewhat nerdy, at her, tucking a loose lock of my wavy hair behind my ear.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be needed to change and return to the trailer you hated and I am starting to hate." I said my goodbyes, brushing past her, but not before whispering something in her ear.

"I promise I'll have him build a house there, a house where you and Mark are always welcome."

A broad smile graced Addison's face, as she ran off to find that man whore of hers who she so desperately loved. Meredith just hoped that she found him and it wasn't too late; she wanted Addison to be happy, and she knew that being with Mark would make her happy. She deserved it, after everything that had happened with her this year.

I sighed, heading my way to the new locker room we, as residents, now got to use. It was pretty much similar to the intern locker room, but much larger, brighter, airier, with fewer lockers and better bathrooms. Pushing open the door, I shocked myself by walking in on Alex and Izzie pressed up against a locker, making out with such force, such heat, I was in awe. I had no idea they still held feelings for eachother, or if they even did. No, of course they did. You can't fake that kind of passion, that kind of love that they showed. But, I needed in my locker, so I cleared my throat.

"Ahem, I don't want to disturb this, I really really don't, but I need in my locker…" Izzie gave a bit of a scream as she bounced off of Alex, her tongue running over her lips ever so slightly. Not slight enough, if I could notice it! I quickly changed, feeling their eyes on me, and as I turned to go, I gave them both a look.

"I won't ask, you know. Not until you're ready to tell." I rolled my eyes and stalked out of the room, heading on my way to find Derek.

* * *

A/N: So, I know none of you were expecting Addison! The truth is, I adore Addison and I don't want to have her go to LA, unlike on the actual show. And...as for Alex and Izzie? I adore that pairing, too! Hence why Meredith walked in on them hooking up. 

Hrm, I think my next chapter will skip ahead to the future, I'm just not sure how far into the future. Probably at least six months ahead, if not a little more. I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow morning, probably!


	8. This One's for the Girls

Upon arriving at my destination, I turned the car off and sat, staring at the woods and the tiny, silver trailer that sat in the middle of them, the rain pounding relentlessly down on my windshield. The trailer. The godforsaken trailer. The place of so much heartache, so many monumental moments, so much…well, sex. Sex in the middle of the woods, where you don't have to worry about anyone hearing you. Basically, no one could hear you scream, and that was one of the benefits to it. Of course, if Derek and I were in it for the long haul…I sighed, gazing around at the gorgeous land, which sat by the lake where we had spent many a night, waking up to the sunset the next morning wrapped in eachothers arms. A lake where I could picture him teaching our children to swim, to fish, to become one with nature. Oh, god, I was getting disgusting, even to Izzie's standards. Cristina would kill me if she knew. Literally kill me, no remorse, no regrets.

I shook my head and snapped myself out of my thoughts, letting out a huge yawn before getting out of the car and making a mad dash for the front door of the trailer. Any fantasies I had of laying in the hammock with him tonight we gone, seeing as how the rain didn't seem as if it were going to give up anytime soon. I pushed open the door, giving another ear-splitting yawn as I kicked off my shoes, draped my coat over the back of a kitchen chair, and collapsed onto the bed. I had to admit, my first day as a resident had passed without nothing too crazy happening. Of course, I knew that wasn't something good; it only meant the rest of the week would end up being insanely eventful. At this point, I didn't care.

I lay on the bed, seemingly only for a few minutes, closing my eyes to rest them. However, the next thing I knew, the door to the trailer was slamming as someone stepped in, and my eyes flew open. I gazed upon the grinning face of Derek, not sure whether he expected me to be there or not, but I knew he was in awe that I was. Propping myself up on my elbows, I grinned back tentatively, my grin easing into a true smile as he moved towards me.

"I..what time is it?" I managed to get out, before he locked me in one of the most amazing kisses known to mankind. It lasted what seemed like hours – it was that amazing – before he pulled back, keeping his face close to mine.

"It's ten o'clock, Meri. You got off at, what, seven? You must've gone out like a light." His laughter filled the trailer as he stretched himself out next to me on the bed, his arms wrapping around my waist and tugging me ever closer to him.

"I'm glad we aren't over, Meredith," he whispered, before continuing what had been put on hold in that on-call room hours ago.

* * *

A/N: I know, this chapter was much shorter than others. I'm either getting writers block, or I need to make the story progress faster. I've already started to write a chapter set six months from this one; I believe that'll be the next one I post up. It was much easier to write than this one was, hence why I'm so eager to go forward in time.

Anyway, I'm not thrilled with how short and boring this chapter was, so I apologize! Next chapter will be up soon.


	9. I Think I Love You

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in at least a week! I suddenly became busy with life, and then went off to stay with a friend for two nights...and then Harry Potter was released. So, of course, I had to sit and read the book (which I finished in 7 hours), and I've been trying to find the time to write some more since! But, here it is.

I would also like to say, I'm starting college on August 24th, which means my updates will certainly not be as frequent as they've been. It's my first year in college, so I'm not sure how I'll handle the new atmosphere and everything, but I promise you that I won't abandon this, or any future fics that I write!

* * *

_Six months later... _

"Derek!" I squeeled, giggling far too much for anyone's own good. I couldn't help it, though, the man was tickling me beyond human capacity, and I was far too ticklish for my own good. I squirmed around on the bed, wriggling from his grasp, before I finally rolled off and fell onto the floor with a thud. I laid on the carpet, giggling and wiggling still, Derek's handsome face peeking over the edge of the king-sized bed to look at me. I think both of us were grateful for the fact we no longer lived in the trailer; if we did, tickle-fests such as this wouldn't be possible without getting a concussion, and/or damaging our bodies or the trailer. Our bedroom, however, was perfect. Our bedroom. It was amazing to say, I had to admit. We had a bedroom, a bright, large, airy bedroom to call our own, decorated by yours truly and, Addison Montgomery, of all people on this earth. What can I say? The woman had good taste, and the space she decorated, or helped to decorate, was a perfect blend of myself and Derek in a tasteful and stylish way. I loved it, it made me happy to spend time with him in this room, in our room.

As per usual, Derek and I were in the midst of a sexual escapade, something that had become a nightly ritual for us. We were nearing the end of tonight's session; both of us lasting much longer than we had expected our sleep-deprived bodies to. Panting, heavy breathing, and screams of pleasure filled our bedroom, until all of a sudden his voice broke the pattern as he yelled something out, which took me completely by surprise.

"MARRY ME," he yelled, our bodies one, wiggling, writhing, gyrating with the other.

I froze, completely stopped moving, and gazed up into his eyes as he lay on top of me. His gorgeous blue eyes, which always seemed to bore into my soul, started back at me, a brilliant smile on his face.

"Wh-what?" I gasped, blinking several times. I had imagined this moment, of course, I had imagined it thousands of times…but whenever I had imagined it, it was nearly always far into the future, not six months after we had rekindled our relationship. I loved him, there was absolutely no doubt about that, and I wanted to be his wife. But, as these thoughts ran through my mind, as I pictured little Meredith's and Derek's running around on our land, I was scared. I couldn't pinpoint why, but deep down I knew it was all because of my father. He and I, despite Lexie's best efforts, had yet to reconcile. A few words had been exchanged here and there between us, but that was it. Lexie and Derek both happened to be working together in this, getting us to apologize, forgive, and forget, but it just wasn't happening. Frankly, I had dealt without him for around 22 years; what did it matter? Apparently, it meant the world, and my future with Derek.

Derek, who was still smiling, slid himself out of me, standing up and wrapping a sheet around his waist. I snatched up his white dress shirt and buttoned it up over my otherwise naked body, letting my legs fold Indian style, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, as I sat on our king-sized bed, the drapes on the windows fluttering in the wind. Derek had now busied himself with something in the pocket of his pants, which had been strewn on the floor along with my heels and cocktail dress. We had been at a party for Addison earlier; her birthday party. Mark had planned it entirely by himself, and it had been an amazing affair. Dinner and dancing, with all of her friends and family surrounding her. I only hoped Derek ended up being that thoughtful for my own birthday. But, that was neither here nor there at the moment, I realized, when Derek stood up, a small, black velvet box encased in his hand. My heart began to pound even harder than before, I could feel it in my throat as I filled with a warm sensation.

"Meredith…" he began, kneeling by the side of the bed and taking my hand, bringing it up to his lips for a split second before he continued. "When I first met you, the only thing I could think of was how perfect you were. You've always been perfect, from that first moment, even as you were kicking me out of your house the morning after." He paused, both of us sharing a silly grin with each other.

"Your perfection is what makes you what you are to me. It's your perfection…and your tiny ineffectual fists…and your hair. The scent of your hair. I smell lavender, and all I can think of is you. I see you, and nothing else in the world matters. I want us to spend the rest of our lives like that: not caring about a thing when we are together. Filling our minds with thoughts of each other. Loving each other, until the end of time." He took a deep breath, his eyes glistening with tears. I, however, had been choked up from near the beginning, with tears already running down my face.

"What I'm saying, Meredith Katherine Grey, is…will you marry me?"


	10. The Sweetest Thing

I sat on my perch on the bed, gazing down at Derek. I was crying, tears of pure love and excitement, but I was scared to say yes, if anyone could ever believe that. Maybe it was everything we had gone through together in the past ten or so months. Maybe it was the abandonment issues I was still dealing with from childhood, from both parents of mine. Maybe it was the fact that the one marriage I witnessed first hand as I grew up was that of my parents, which disintegrated by the time I was five years old. I was scared, even though I knew Derek would never leave me, never harm me, never stray to someone else. Can you blame me for being scared?

As I gazed into his eyes, I knew that despite all of those factors, I loved him and we were meant for each other. We were meant to grow old together in the very house we occupied. We were meant to have children together, and raise them together, just as only we could. They would be little clones of ourselves, growing up in and around the hospital, becoming familiar with the layout by the time they can walk. A wistful smile appeared on my face as I pictured myself pregnant. I wanted it. I wanted everything, and I wanted it with him.

The smile stayed on my face as I gazed down at him yet again, pressing my lips together and gazing at the ring which sat in a box in his outstretched hand. The ring was large and flashy, and yet plain and simple at the same time. A neat, three caret princess-cut diamond set in platinum – it screamed me. It wasn't too garish and decorative; it was just the diamond, and it was absolutely perfect. Of course, if there had no ring at all, I would still be crying my heart out before him. I gazed down upon it, tears running down my face, before lifting my eyes to meet his.

"Yes," I whispered, a wide grin stretching across my tearstained face. "Yes, Derek, I'll marry you. I'll be Mrs. Shepherd, Dr. Shepherd, whatever the hell you want me to be, I'll be that woman, Derek."

He took the ring from the box and slid it onto the ring finger of my outstretched hand, and I launched myself into his arms. I felt him envelop me with his strong yet gentle arms, as we held each other and let our engagement sink in with both of us. I couldn't remember the last time I had been this happy, or if I ever had been this happy before. I decided upon the latter, because at this moment, life was more perfect than I could ever imagine.

* * *

A/N: So, there you have it. Meredith's answer to Derek's burning question. It's not as climatic as the last chapter, and quite short compared to what I normally write...but oh well.

Next chapter will be about one month after this one - I won't tell you what it's about, though!


	11. Hey There Delilah

A/N: Okay, so I gave myself a policy with updating this story. When the next chapter is completed, say, for example, when ch. 12 is completed, that's when I'll post up the previous chapter, chapter 11. I used those numbers simply because of where I am in the story. So, at no point will I ever have absolutely nothing to post with...does that make sense to everyone? Haha.

I know it's July right now, but for story purposes? It's January. I figure...the season 3 finale took place in June or so in Greys Anatomy world, then six months of them being together brings us to December...and now, this is a month after the engagement, which brings us to January!

* * *

Derek and I had been engaged for about a month now. All of our friends had reacted how we thought they would to our amazing news. Cristina rolled her eyes and tossed a faux-gag in my direction, telling me she better not have to wear anything pink and frilly. I, of course, assured her that there would never be anything pink and frilly within 100 feet of my wedding, because it was true. Izzie shrieked, which could be heard all over the hospital I've since been told, and immediately wanted to discuss details of the wedding. I had asked both her and Cristina to be bridesmaids, Cristina my maid of honor, and I figured Izzie would be thrilled with the prospect, seeing as how Derek and I would not pull a Burke/Yang. I was confident with that thought.

Alex and Mark had shared a high five with one another, as Mark declared an official end to the dirty mistresses club. I must say, the end of that club made me happy, and I was even happier every time I glanced down at the sparkling ring on my finger.

We had decided to tell Addison together. I still felt somewhat guilty, as if it were my fault their marriage suffered and fizzled out. She was truly happy for us, and as we walked off that day, she said something that made me freeze.

"Oh, Meredith, now you get to meet his family!" She called as I retreated down the hallway. I could sense she was smiling; the time I met Derek's sister Nancy, I had quickly learned his family adored Addison. Or, at the very least, Nancy adored her. Her comment was not meant to cause ill-will, but it made me sick to my stomach. I didn't do families. And yet…I would have to. Derek and I were getting married, and even if I didn't meet them soon, I would definitely meet at the wedding. I decided quickly, in those few spare moments, that I would rather meet them sooner instead of later. That way, we could build relationships…oh, what the fuck was I thinking? I didn't build relationships with family.

Derek must have noticed the stricken look on my face as I turned around, because he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight. I slid my own arms around him, giving a worried sigh, which he immediately picked up on.

"Meredith," he said, lifting my chin so I was looking up at him, "They'll love you. They all know Nancy is full of shit, too, so I know they haven't paid attention to whatever crap she's spewed about you. Everyone…is absolutely thrilled we're engaged, I promise. Mom has been begging me to bring you to New York so she can finally meet you…please?" He gave me the McDreamy look, and I knew I wouldn't be able to say no to him. I mean, if she truly wanted to meet me…then maybe, just maybe, I could suck it up.

"Okay. We can go," I replied, giggling over how excited he got with those four words. "Under a few conditions, however." He raised an eyebrow for me to continue, nodding along silently.

"One. There will be no comparing me to Addison. We are entirely different people, with different tastes, styles, etc. I refuse to spend a week being compared with her. Two. You will never, I repeat, NEVER, leave me alone with Nancy. The results would not be good for anyone. Three, you will keep your hands off of me the whole week. We'll be in your parents house, and I'm not having sex with you. It's just…immoral! Hrm. Four…oh, four. I'll let them do whatever they want with me. Groom me, primp me, force me into spending thousands of dollars while shopping; hell, we can even do bridal things. But I swear to god Derek, if your sisters try to convince me to stuff my bridesmaids in something pink and frilly, I will kill them all with no remorse."

I smiled sweetly up at him, batting my eyelashes a bit. I didn't think I was being entirely unreasonable; every ground rule was well-thought out and ethical, in my opinion. I only hoped he agreed…but the look on his face told me he didn't.

"Meredith!" He moaned. "How do you expect me to go a week without sex!? I mean, US, a week without sex!? It's impossible, Meri, truly impossible." He looked so much like a child in that moment, I wanted to tell him to sit in the corner and think about what he did. I refrained, of course, and merely smirked a bit. Our week in New York City was bound to be interesting.

* * *

A/N: I figured giving Derek some ground rules for their trip would make things a bit interesting, especially because Meredith still has a sour taste from when Nancy showed up and infiltrated her life. You'll be interested in what I had planned out for Nancy! Mark and Addison, too, because I certainly did not forget about them! 


	12. City of Blinding Lights

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever!!! A lot has been going on with preparations and such, so I lost sense of things I had to do online! But, here it is, chapter 12. Hopefully I can write another chapter tomorrow or something, and then post up ch. 13, but I'll have to see what the day brings.

Also, I think I might switch the story to 3rd person. First person seems boring to me, and it's starting to get a bit difficult so I think it's best. The switch won't happen until chapter 14, however!

* * *

Two days later, I found myself between Derek and a window, sitting first class on a trip to New York City. As we flew over what I assumed was somewhere in the middle of America, all I could do was wonder how I had let myself be talked into this…before I remembered I had willingly said yes. C'est la vie! Ah, well. I had gotten on the plane; that was a good step, right? I thought so, at least. I sighed and gazed out the window, seeing a gap in the clouds and raising a brow at the snow covered plains below us. It was January, and I knew New York would be completely snowed under – as if I truly minded? It was bound to be romantic, regardless.

I don't recall falling asleep, but the next thing I knew, Derek was shaking me awake and our fellow passengers were gathering their things. I rubbed my eyes and sat up straight, rearranging my dirty blonde hair.

"Welcome to New York, sleepyhead," Derek said to me, his hand caressing my cheek as a lopsided smile formed across his face. I grinned, leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to his lips, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my one ear. I was excited, and incredibly nervous at the same time..who wouldn't be? I was meeting my future in-laws for the first time, save for Nancy…who hated me anyway. Oh, this week was going to be a ball, I was sure.

As we stepped off the plane and into the terminal, Derek slid his hand through mine, lacing our fingers together as he threw me a reassuring look over his shoulder.

"I told Mom to meet us at baggage claim…and I think she has one of my sisters with her." My face fell completely, as I prayed it would not be Nancy. Nancy, who was more satan-like than Addison, minus the red hair. I dreaded it would be her, really and truly dreaded it. As we arrived downstairs, however, I took notice of two women, both short with wavy hair; the older of the two had hair that you could tell was once a lustrous dark brown, but now was graying. The younger woman had long black hair, with bangs tucked behind one ear. It startled me how much the two women looked like Derek, and I knew they were his mother and sister.

At once, his mother bounded towards us with astounding energy, and had seized Derek in a massive hug, while beginning the typical motherly naggings I had never had.

"Derek Michael Shepherd!" She scolded, a grin plastered across her face. "You leave for Seattle, and the next time we hear from you personally, which was over a year later, is to tell us you're engaged! I did not raise my only son to estrange himself from the family, leave New York without a word, and start a new life! The least you could have done is tell us about her before now!" With that, she let go of Derek, and turned her attention to me. She took both of my hands in hers, smiling warmly, her blue eyes full of mirth.

"You, my dear, must be Meredith." I nodded, smiling back at her as friendly as was possible for me; it seemed quite hard for me to believe this same woman gave birth to Nancy, Queen Bitch.

"Oh, it's so lovely to finally meet you! We've heard all about you, of course, from Mark! Yes, Derek, Mark is still a part of this family despite the awful things he's done, and that is all we're saying about that matter!" She gave Derek a sharp glare as he scowled at the mention of Marks name. "Oh, but Meredith, he never mentioned just how beautiful you truly are. In fact, his exact words are not polite enough to ever repeat, but you know Mark." She gave her eyes a little toss, before pulling me into a hug.

"Welcome to the family, Meredith. Please, call me Elizabeth." I loved her already. She was everything a mother should be, and I had known her only for five minutes.

As she and Derek began to argue and catch up with life, the other woman came forward and introduced herself to me.

"Hey, Meredith. I'm Abigail…But you can call me Abbie. I would like to apologize on behalf of all the other Shepherd women about Nancy." Abigail tossed her eyes, sniffing slightly in a way that made it clear that she took pride in the fact that she didn't let Nancy's hellish ways influence her.

I laughed, noting how friendly both she and her mother were, and I realized I could see myself becoming close with them both…and maybe even more siblings! I did draw the line at Nancy, however. I could never see myself warming up to her, ever since she declared I knew she couldn't be Derek's wife, seeing as how I already ran her off.

Derek soon returned with our suitcases, and slid his hand through mine once again, nodding at his mother to signify that we were ready to go. He led me outside, onto the crowded sidewalk of New York City, and I breathed in the cold, fresh air. The sights, the smells…they all reminded me of a childhood trip to the city, with both of my parents – back when we were happy, alive, and speaking to each other. It was a good memory for me to hold onto, seeing as how none of those three held dear to any of us at the present time…and never again for my mother.

I must have fallen into a daze, because the next thing I knew, Derek was tugging me towards a chauffer-driven SUV, and I was helped into the backseat. I tried not to think about the repressed childhood memories that drivers brought back to me, and settled in between Derek and Abbie. Now was absolutely not the time to bitch about my privileged childhood, and so I sat back and got to know my future sister-in-law.

* * *

A/N: Not quite as eventful as other chapters already posted, and some I've thought up to come, but it's a nice segue into the chaos of Derek's family. Hope you enjoyed it! 


	13. Mysterious Ways

A/N: I feel as if my story is incredibly boring. Seriously, I do. When I'm writing it, occasionally I'll get stuck and simply end the chapter. It's not writer's block per say, but more like...I hate what I'm writing? Haha. So this is where I ask my readers to give me suggestions as to what they would like to see happen in my story! I can't say I'll use them, but I will definitely consider them and incorporate a few into the story! So...suggest!

* * *

All I could do during that ride was hope and pray that the rest of Derek's sisters, sans Nancy, were as sweet as Abbie was. Judging by the fact that Derek had never mentioned the others as much as he mentioned Nancy and her devilish ways, my prayers would be answered. I would soon find out, I noted, as we pulled up in front of an imposing townhouse that reminded me of my own townhouse in Seattle…well, my former townhouse. Upon moving out, I had given it to Alex and Izzie. I had no use for it, and I'm sure they ended up christening every room for months before I found out about them.

I stepped out onto the curb and looked down at myself, suddenly nervous for meeting his sisters, whom I assumed would be impeccably groomed, Addison style. I was dressed in a black cashmere sweater, tight yet worn in and comfortable jeans, and a pair of Uggs, which the jeans had been tucked into. A cream colored wool coat topped everything. I felt comfortable, even though I knew I was about to meet certain doom once inside. Fuck them, I decided. It's not like what I was wearing truly mattered to anyone but them…and maybe even then, simply Nancy. Derek threaded his hand through mine, giving it a squeeze as he looked down at me, a boyish grin plastered on his face. He swept me into his arms for a moment, locking me in a kiss that took my breath away.

"I love you, Meredith," he began, that silly grin still on his face, "and you don't understand how excited I am for you to meet the rest of my family." As suddenly as it had happened, he released me, tugging on my arm ever so slightly as we ascended the front steps of the townhouse. I paused in front of that door, taking a moment to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear that had slipped from the neat ponytail I had brushed it into earlier.

As we stepped inside, I could hear the pitter-patter of tiny little feet, and older pairs in the mix. Then came the babble of voices, as seemingly a herd of children and adults rushed towards the front door. I bit down on my lip, squeezing Derek's hand as tight as I could. There were so many of them! I was overwhelmed, and incredibly nervous. I thought I was nervous to meet his mom and sister; that was nothing compared to what I felt now…especially since I caught sight of Nancy in the crowd, her ice blue eyes cold. My breath caught in my throat, and I gasped for air, receiving it after a moment. I hated her, and I could tell she still loathed the ground I walked on. There was no fucking way in hell she was going to be a bridesmaid in the wedding.

After a moment, Derek stuck two fingers in his mouth, emitting a piercing whistle that quieted the pack of hyenas in the entry way. He smiled at the crowd, a twinkle in his eye, as he tugged me forward to meet the wolves.

"Everyone, I would love for you to meet Meredith," his gaze fell to the top of my head as he gave my hand a squeeze yet again. "Meredith and I…are getting married. We're not sure when, where, or any other detail, but we want you to know. I want every single one of you to treat her with kindness and respect –" it was here he held up his hand to silence Nancy, who no doubt had some bitchy remark to retort to her little brother, "- as you would like her to treat you. Do I make myself clear?" I could tell an eyebrow of his was raised, but the smile was still there. God, I loved him.

I watched as the family nodded along in agreement, Nancy sulking in a corner, clearly upset by her baby brother telling her basically to shut up. I might have felt bad for her if she didn't continue to treat me as poorly as she does…but to no avail. I turned my head to a few of the children, who were now surrounding me, tugging on my hands, wanting 'Aunt Meri' to come and play with them. I turned around and looked at Derek, who nodded and gave me a smile. I bent down so that I was eye-level with one little girl. She was beautiful, with dark curls spilling past her shoulders, her Shepherd-blue eyes shining bright and complimenting the curls.

"And what's your name, little miss?" I asked her, smiling warmly at her. She giggled a bit before flashing me a smile.

"Gemma," she said, giggling a bit more. "Gemma Cabot." I froze for a split second, hesitating before straightening up again. This was Nancy's daughter. At least, one of her daughter's. The six year old girl. She seemed to be everything her mother was not, and for that I was thrilled.

"Well, Gemma, why don't we go and pretend we're princesses like you wish?" I smiled as she grabbed my hand, leading me to the playroom Elizabeth kept for her grandchildren in the house. Derek was grinning at me; I had a feeling he was picturing me with one of our own children. At this moment, the thought thrilled me. I couldn't wait until Derek and I visited his family, our own dark, curly-haired brood dashing in to play with their cousins. All in good time, I thought. All in good time.

* * *

A/ N: Get busy suggesting, please! I don't want a boring story. 


	14. She's Got a Way

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry this took me forever to update!!! I was at the beach and I literally just got home an hour ago, and I had no time to update this. So, here it is! It's not as long as I would have wished, but I promise the next chapter is much longer!

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The rest of their week in New York was perfect. Meredith bonded with Derek's sisters, minus Nancy, and his mother ended up adoring her even more than she already did. Meredith had never felt more loved by so many people at one point in her life. Working in collaboration with Elizabeth, a few major wedding details we planned, scheduled, and set aside. Meredith and Derek both wanted to get married on their land; in fact, the first time Meredith had been brought there, she had picked a specific spot for a wedding ceremony. It was by the lake, with a perfect view of the horizon and untouched land surrounding it. It was gorgeous, and Mer wanted the ceremony to take place at sunset. She had never felt so bright and shiny before, and frankly, it scared her. But, no matter.

One night, halfway through the week, Meredith sat with the sisters and Elizabeth, discussing colors for the wedding. Shockingly, their girliness and enthusiasm for weddings didn't get on her nerves! They were debating what color the bridesmaids should wear, when there was a frantic knocking on the front door. All six women stopped talking, various states of confusion on their faces. It was nearly 11 o'clock at night; who in the world could it be?

Derek, who had been pouring over a medical journal in the study, came down the hallway of the townhouse and opened the front door. Shouts could be heard, which sent the six women scrambling for the door, falling over eachother in their rush to find out what was going on. Meredith stood there, wiggling under Derek's arm and sliding an arm around his waist, gasping at who was there.

"ADDISON!" she yelled, launching herself at the tall redhead, who in turn wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug. Everyone failed to notice Marks hand, which had been resting on Addison's stomach before Meredith threw herself at her.

Derek's eyes twinkled as he and Mark clapped each other on the back in greeting; the two of them had finally made amends when they realized their girlfriends friendship would eventually bring them together again, anyway.

"What are you doing here, man?" Der asked Mark, smirking slightly. Behind him, his sister's were grumbling about it only being Mark, and had begun to disperse. Mark was just as much their brother as Derek was, despite what he had done to Derek and Addison's marriage. It was all water under the bridge now, of course.

Mark whistled over Derek's shoulder, snorting and smirking all at once.

"Hey, ladies. Get your pretty asses back here this instant, Addison and I have some news for you all." Meredith retreated back to Derek, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as Mark's hand slid over Addison's stomach again, his other arm snaking around her waist, which looked much more full than her usual slim figure. Kathleen, the ever-observant shrink of the family, squeeled and gasped all at once.

"Addie!!!" She shrieked, bouncing up and down from her position behind Meredith. That was when everything fell into place for her.

"Addison, you're pregnant!" Her eyes were shining as she grinned at her friend, Mark and Addison smiling radiantly, a glow definitely radiating from Addison. The tall redhead simply nodded, the smile on her face telling everyone just how happy she was about it. If this had been six months ago, Meredith would have hated the fact that they showed up at the Shepherds, clearly showing she's better than herself. However, this was not six months ago. This was now, and Meredith and Addison had become close over those six months. Mer knew that Mark was still a Shepherd child, despite his part in ruining the marriage of Derek and Addison. Derek's sister's were still close with Addison, but Elizabeth, the children said, wasn't as friendly to her as she once was. Despite that, she was still welcome in the household.

Nancy was the one who finally reached out and tugged Addison inside the warm house; it was far too cold out for any of them to be standing at the door, gaping. Mark simply followed his girlfriend inside, shutting the heavy door behind him. Addison was led into the living room where she quickly shed her coat, revealing her rounding belly. Mer stood by Derek, squeezing his hand tightly. She was happy for her friend, and knew Derek was happy for his ex-wife, who had finally found happiness in the arms of the one who loved her, unconditionally.

Meredith simply stood there, gazing at Addison, who noticed her after a few minutes, a sly smirk gracing her pale skin.

"Yes, Grey? Something you wanted to share with the rest of the crew?" She cocked her head to one side, a lock of that brilliant red hair falling into her face, the red hair that earned her the nickname Satan.

Mer shook her head, grinning slightly. "It's a good look for you, you know. All…glowy and angelic. I miss Satan."

"Please, Satan is out in full force, Grey," Mark grumbled from his perch next to Addison, turning and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "If I weren't so strong and manly, I'd snap from the bitchy comments and evil glares I get!" With that, Addison shot him a particularly withering glare, shutting him up for about 20 seconds, as a loud snort slipped from Derek's mouth, earning raised eyebrows all around the room.

"Strong and manly…okay…sure. Strong and manly my ass, Mark, I could totally take you in a fight. I just don't think either of us should fuck up our 2 million + per year hands". Derek nodded in the affirmative, his fingers playing with Meredith's hair.

"Oh, please Der, you're too afraid you'd mess up your pretty hair." He gave a wicked grin, and this time, Meredith snorted.

"Oh, it's so true. You know, he uses more hair products than I do! I think he uses the hair dryer more than I do, too." She stuck her tongue out at Derek, and his response was to tickle her until she called for mercy. Somehow, with that little gesture and her response to it, Meredith knew she was a part of the Shepherd family. Working on Nancy would be the next thing, however, but tonight? She was way too tired to bother. So, instead, she settled herself in Derek's arms as they all talked to Addie and Mark, and eventually she drifted off to sleep, letting their low voices lull her to sleep.

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A/N: I hope to have the next chapter up later today! 


	15. Heartburn

A/N: Oh my gosh, I never meant for that to happen! And by 'that' I mean, leaving this without an update for so long! I started college, and moving in, adjusting, and going to classes has gotten in the way of updating! Oh, and the constant hoard of people coming in and out of my room. But, now that barely anyone is on campus this weekend, I found time to finish chapter 16! So, here's chapter 15, and I plan on starting chapter 17 asap!!!

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Meredith awoke the next morning and headed downstairs; from what she could tell, most people were either asleep or out, so the house was pretty quiet. She heard hushed voices coming from the study, however, as she passed by, and decided to hide in the shadows and listen. There were two women in there, and she peeked around the corner. It was Addison and Nancy! Nancy had some nasty look on her face, as if something unpleasant had been shoved under her nose, and Addison had a stern look on her face. After a moment, she heard Nancy utter her name, and she sucked in her breath. They were talking about her!

"Addie, I just don't understand what he sees in her. I mean, she ruined your marriage! You two would still be together if it weren't for that conniving little intern. I mean, honestly! Planting her panties in his tux pocket, where she knew you'd find them? Seriously. Addie, I know you love Mark, but UGH! I wish you and Der were still married." Nancy gave a haughty sigh, very much like a spoiled teenager might. Addison, however, was frowning more than ever as she caressed her bump, her jaw clenching.

"Nancy Rose Cabot, can you PLEASE get off your fucking high horse? I know it's nearly impossible for you to also take your nose out of the air at the same time, but I'm sure you can act mature for at least two minutes." Addison sighed, tossing her hair back and throwing her a withering glare. "Nance, you're one of my best friends. And as one of my best friends, I can tell you you're wrong without fearing you. Because, you are wrong. Derek and I…Nance, you know as well as I do that I ruined it. Or well, Der and I ruined it ourselves. We were distant, uncaring…and I slept with Mark. Our marriage was over, and Meredith merely expedited the ultimate demise. I don't resent her for that; in fact, I plan on asking her and Derek to be godparents to the twins. She and I have become quite close these past few months, and. God damnit, Nancy! I want you to fucking grow up and act your age. You have three kids; ACT it. What would you do if someone was treating your own kids the way you treat Meredith?"

Nancy swallowed, chewing on her lip, silent for right now. Meredith had heard Addison blow up at people before, but never like this. This…this was in her defense! Her heart swelled with adoration for this woman at the moment, the woman who once was her sworn enemy.

"I…oh, god Addie, I would go and talk to that child's mother and do something about it. You're right, you're always right, of course you're right. I…I'll try, okay? I just. I don't know. He's my baby brother, you know? I'm always hard on the women he brings home."

"Yes, Nancy, but you were never this hard on me. In fact, you have a disgusting sense of evil radiating from your soul whenever she walks into a room. It makes me want to just smack you." Addison rolled her eyes, actually quite glad she sat down and had this conversation with her. "Seriously. Suck it up. They're in love, and nothing anyone can do is going to change that, and that's that. They're happy. He's concerned about her, without being too smothering. They're the talk of the hospital; everyone is jealous of what they have together."

Nancy gave a small smile, slumping her shoulders a bit. It wasn't everyday she allowed herself to be shamed by Addison Forbes Montgomery, but she had. She felt guilty now, guilty for being a bitch to this woman who her brother loved with all his heart, who she barely knew and had been judging since day one.

"Addie, I know nothing about the woman, and it's not like I can even ask her about herself, and asking Derek is out of the question. I mean…you're close with her, right? Would you tell me some things about her? I…want…to…make an effort?" The last sentence came out spaced out with pauses in between words, as if she were incredibly hesitant about what she was asking of Addison. Addie merely raised a brow, sighing slightly.

"I'll do it, Nancy, not because you seem genuine, which you don't, but because she'll be your sister in law soon and you should know some things about her." She took a deep breath, adjusting herself on the couch and making herself more comfortable. "Okay. Her full name is Meredith Katherine Grey. Yes, Grey as in Ellis Grey." Nancy's mouth opened slightly; clearly, she was in awe that her prestigious baby brother had nabbed himself medical royalty in the highest form. "She was born in Seattle and lived there until she was five, when her father walked out on them. She didn't find out until recently that her father left because her mother was having an affair….with Richard Webber." Nancy's mouth opened another inch, her clear blue eyes wide at this gossip that was Meredith's life. She had never thought that the happy little soul downstairs had such a dark and traumatizing childhood. Her head shook back and forth slightly, beckoning for Addison to continue.

"Right. Um. Well. I know she lived in Boston for awhile, I think from when her father left right up until she went to college. She attended Dartmouth for med school," Nancy snickered here; she had already seen the well-worn shirt many, many times. "Hrm…I know she and Ellis had a major fight before Dartmouth, because Meredith didn't want to be a doctor at first. She went off to Europe, planning to stay at least a year, but was called back after…um…two or so months? Ellis was diagnosed with Alzheimer's…early onset." Her mouth was now the widest it had been. The great Ellis Grey, struck down by something so horrible, so crippling. Her head shook slightly and her heart went out to the tiny woman who had charmed her family. Addison continued.

"Yes, it was quite the shock when I found out. Derek didn't even know; Meredith kept it a secret from everyone and made up stories to cover for her mother. Ellis was admitted to the hospital one day, however, and everyone saw. Everyone saw her yelling, forgetting things, living in the past…and treating Meredith as if she were still five years old." Addie bit her lip, sighing slightly. She remembered that day clearly; all she had wanted to do was help poor Meredith, but knew she couldn't and shouldn't. Not with the manner in which she had met her. "Ellis died about a year ago; she was in dire need of a valve replacement when there was a ferry boat crash. In fact, Meredith was down for about two hours, right before Ellis gave up. It was odd; as soon as Ellis died, Meredith's heart started to beat. It was a miracle, and everyone was thrilled Mere had pulled through." She glanced over at Nancy, who had tears shimmering in her eyes. Addie chuckled to herself, continuing. "Hrm. That's basically her life in a nutshell….now for some random little facts!" She laughed, outloud this time, because the little fact and random quirks were things she adored the most about Meredith.

"She wears that ratty Dartmouth shirt to bed every night, and there's a hole in the neck. She hates Chinese food. She loves strawberry ice cream and would eat gallons upon gallons of it if she could. She hates eating breakfast food for breakfast; she's been known to eat re-heated grilled cheese, much to Derek's disgust. Richard Webber is basically the father she never had. She has two sisters, half sisters. She met one when she was a patient in the hospital, and the other sister she didn't meet until she walked in on her and Derek in an on-call room!" A snort emitted from Nancy, who shook her head and laughed as Addison continued. "She loves ferry boats; it's her and Derek's 'thing'. She and Der shared a dog, Doc...well, I guess he was mine too. He died though, two years ago, of cancer. She snores, loudly, but Derek now wears earplugs and they're both fine. The first time she met Mark, Derek came and punched him out." It was Addison's turn to giggle, now, as she remembered that moment. "Um…and that's all I can think of off the top of my head, but there is so much more to the woman than that. She has a big heart, she's insanely smart, and is incredibly trustworthy once you get to know her and she decides to open up. She's just…I don't know. I can't think of anyone more perfect for Derek."

There was a sad smile on her face for a fraction of a second, but it was quickly wiped off. There would always be sadness for what she and Derek had lost, but she knew he was much happier with Meredith than he had ever been with her.

"Nancy just…talk to her. Get to know her. She forgave Derek for not telling her about me, and she forgave me for marching in and destroying her world. Those are much bigger than what you have done to her, and knowing her, she will eventually forgive, forget, and tell stories for years to come about how you treated her at first." She gave her a reassuring smile, which Nancy returned, fiddling with her wedding ring.

Meredith, meanwhile, had listened to the entire conversation from the hallway, quiet as a mouse. Right now, she loved Addison more than ever before, not only for sticking up for her against Nancy, but for sitting there, talking to Nancy, and letting her know things about her life. The old Meredith might have been upset, but the New and Improved Bright and Shiny Meredith was pleased with both her friend and Nancy's reaction, and headed back to her room with a large grin gracing her lips.


	16. Wish I

A/N: Okay, I no longer will make updating promises. How about...when I update, I'll update. I swear I'll update though, and not forget about this story! College has me busy and running in circles, doing assignments and such. I do promise, however, that I won't forget this story.

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The next day, Addison insisted she take Meredith out to look for wedding gowns. Meredith, having grown up with a very different sense of wealth and WASPiness, was rather reluctant to hit Fifth and Madison avenues with the shopping queen. Derek, however, handed her his platinum card with a kiss and a shove out the door, telling her to spare no expense on the wedding of her dreams. That was how, a few hours later, Meredith found herself ambling down Fifth Avenue with Addison, Nancy, Abigail, Kathleen, and Jocelyn. She found she was actually enjoying herself, and had even bought a few things from Barneys and Saks, thanks to Derek's platinum card. Right now, however, the women were talking excitedly about the wedding, and Meredith had heard the words 'Vera Wang' several times already. So, it was no surprise when she found herself standing outside the imposing doors to the store belonging to the famous designer, knowing thousands of exquisite gowns were only a step away. 

Abigail took her by the wrist, tugging her inside the boutique, and in an instant she was surrounded by white in the form of many different gowns. Some were slinky, shimmery silk, others were puffs of tulle and lace, and still others were gathered, boned works of art. She had never thought of herself as one for wedding planning, or even wedding shopping, but in this instant, she was glad she had consented to let the women drag her around the cold city. As she drank in the sights of the store, she hadn't noticed the cheerful saleswoman who had waltzed over to the group and had begun to ask them questions. All of a sudden, she was snapped out of her daze as Addison shoved her foreward, and she put on a warm smile, shaking the hand of the woman.

"Yes, yes, I'm the bride. I'm Meredith Grey." The woman smiled back at her, jotting her name down on a clipboard she held in her arm, clicking her pen shut after a moment. "Well, it's lovely to meet you, Meredith! I'm Angie, and I'm here to help you find the wedding gown of your dreams. Now tell me, dear, what did you have in mind?"

Meredith paused for a few seconds, trying to picture herself in a wedding gown. It was difficult to do, seeing as how she had never thought about marriage much growing up, unlike the five women around her, and nothing concise came to mind. "Erm. Well…I don't exactly know." She blushed, hanging her head sheepishly. "I mean, it's all so new and overwhelming to me…" She bit down on her lip, sighing slightly. The woman took her hands in hers, giving them a slight squeeze.

"Meredith, dear, don't you worry about it at all. That's what I'm here for! To help you figure out what you want." She pressed a hand to the small of her back, guiding her towards a dressing room. "There's a corset and crinoline in there; please put them on and we shall pick out a few preliminary gowns for you to try on." And so, Meredith quickly changed into the corset and crinoline, coming out after a few minutes. She felt naked and exposed in what she was now wearing, but the Shepherd women and Addison seemed to take no notice of it. Addison was rubbing her pregnant belly, while the other women were oohing and ahhing over the various gowns they had entertained themselves with. The woman, Angie, looked up when Meredith entered the room, and led her to a display with a few gowns.

"These are simply sample sizes, so they of course will be much too big for you. In reality, your gown will be special ordered and stitched according to your specifications, with any fabric or embellishment you wish." Meredith was simply in awe of it all; this was something she had never done before, or even dreamed of doing. Her fingers ran across smooth, flawless silks, intricate laces, yards upon yards of tulle…it was truly a fantasy land here, a land where she had never imagined she'd be. She was, though, and shockingly she was enjoying it. She bit her lip in thought as she walked around the store, browsing through all the gowns. She didn't want to try anything on that doesn't feel right on the hanger; she doesn't want too much fuss on her. So, she continues to walk around the shop, picturing the perfect gown in her mind. After a few minutes of this, she stopped in front of a gown that simply took her breath away. She stood in front of it for a few minutes, studying every inch of the intricate, stunning gown. She had never expected herself of all people to fall in love with such a gown, but she had.

The gown was pure, snow white silk organza; strapless with an A-line skirt, flowing flawlessly towards the floor. An asymmetrical waist put a twist on the gown, along with a few strategically placed ruffles, ornate beading, and a lace-up back. There was a slight train which Meredith felt completed the look. She was in love with the gown, and after a few moments she could feel a presence behind her. She turned quickly to see Addison's smiling face, her eyes wide at the sight of the gown.

"Meredith, if you don't try that on…" She trailed off, not needing to say anymore, and not even knowing what she would do if Meredith didn't try it on. In that moment, Angie waltzed over, plucking the gown from the display as she simultaneously grabbed Meredith's hand, pulling her into a dressing room. It all happened so fast, she didn't know what to do when faced with the intricate lacings and buttons on the back of the dress. After a few minutes, however, Angie had helped her into the gown and a pair of heels, pinning it to fit her small frame.

She gazed at herself in the mirror, her soft, light brown waves gracing her face, as she took a deep breath. This gown was….perfect. A warm, happy feeling had settled in her stomach, as she turned and exited the dressing room, much to the delight of the sisters, who gasped in admiration of the gown. Meredith admired herself in the mirror, loving the way even the too-big sample size hugged her tiny body, and how it made her feel like a princess. Her eyes shone as she gazed at herself in the mirror, a different woman than she saw six months ago. Turning to face the sisters once again, a radiant smile graced her face. "This is definitely the one."

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A/N: Please read and review! 


	17. In My Place

A/N: I am SO sorry to everyone who has been waiting for me to update!! School is biting me in the ass, and then earlier this week I had kidney stones...and my parents had to come up to my school, get me, and bring me home. That, coupled with on-going roomate issues, is why I've been absent from updating for you amazing people. But I promise you, I have the next chapter written and am in the process of writing the one after that! Never fear, I will come through ;) However, I do apologize for how short this chapter is!

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Derek, shockingly, never asked Meredith about the 10,000 dollar charge on his platinum card, and she came to conclude he didn't even notice it. Soon after the wedding gown shopping extravaganza, the pair had returned to Seattle, where they once again busied their lives with the hospital, and in Meredith's case, planning a wedding. Addison had declared herself as her wedding planner/helper/whatever Meredith wanted her to be, seeing as how she had had to cut down on her hours due to the twins. The two women were getting along fabulously, and Addison had even brought out her own wedding pictures from her wedding to Derek, maybe to give Meredith inspiration. She also loved giving pointers on what not to do with the ceremony, reception, and stuff, and Meredith loved the advice from an experienced person, albeit Derek's ex-wife.

The date was set; May 24th. A Saturday, and hopefully a glorious, late-spring day. It was only February right now, and difficult to imagine the clearing by the lake, currently covered in snow and mud, transformed for a wedding, but it would be done. At random, quiet points during her days at the hospital, Meredith would glance at her engagement ring, marveling in wonder at herself. She was a changed woman. A little over a year ago, she was getting drunk every night, sleeping around with whomever she wished, and had no thoughts of marriage. And now…it was just so exciting! There were no words she could use to explain just how she felt. Cristina was disgusted with her happiness, and would roll her eyes whenever she was in the room. Meredith would simply shrug, dismissing her. She adored her best friend, and she still felt horrible about Burke leaving her…but she just didn't want to let go of her happiness.

It was now April, and Meredith and Addison were laying around in Mere's spacious living room, watching a mindless TV show and straying away from what they were supposed to be doing: putting the finishing touches on Meredith's imminent wedding. The room was quiet, other than the drone of the TV, when all of a sudden Addison gasped.

Meredith's eyes shot up to her; her hands were clutching her belly, and her face was contorted in pain as she was breathless for a few seconds. Meri rushed to her side, placing her own hand on her stomach.

"Addison! Oh my god, what's wrong!?" Meredith was worried; Addison had had a fairly easy pregnancy for a woman her age, never once complaining about anything, so she knew she must have been in severe pain.

"Um. Well. I'm pretty damn sure that was a contraction." She bit her lip hard, shaking slightly. "Meredith, it's too early! They still have six weeks to go! Oh my god, you'd think I would be able to do this, this is what I do for a living." She shook her head, chewing on her lip. The contraction had obviously died down, and she wasn't immediately going into a next one…so she was still good. "Mer, you have to get me to the hospital. Ugh, why can't I deliver my own babies?" Meredith giggled for a moment, before dashing to her cell phone and paging Mark. In the next moment, she was helping Addison off the couch, grabbing her keys and purse, while simultaneously dialing the hospital to inform them of their impending arrival.

It took them less than ten minutes to get to the hospital; Meredith felt like she had broken at least thirty different laws. Her contractions had increased in intensity, and were about five minutes apart, which was perfect since they were at the hospital – five minutes apart was usually when it was time. As Meredith parked the car and helped her into the ER, Mark came dashing across the parking lot, panting in effort, his face clearly showing now nervous and excited he was about becoming a father. As he gently took over the care of Addison from her, Derek sidled up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist. "I can't wait until that's us, Mer," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.


	18. Open Your Eyes

A/N: Okay, I tried to post this last night. I seriously did. And FF wouldn't let me. So...blame them :P Anyways. I apologize for how short this is...but there are only two more chapters left, I believe! I'm writing the wedding chapter at the moment, and then there may be an epilogue or something. I'm not quite sure yet. But there WILL be a sequel!

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Several hours later, Mark came running out of the delivery room, an exuberant smile gracing his chiseled good looks. Meredith had been napping, curled up with Derek in a tiny hospital couch, and awoke with a start when she felt the presense of Mark beside her. Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her eyes, noting the perpetual smile on his face.

"Mark!!" She squeeled, standing up quickly and waking Derek in the process. "Has she had the babies yet?" She bit her lip, thrilled at the prospect of being an aunt. Sure, she had a niece already, but she didn't consider Laura Thompson to truly be her niece. She was the daughter of her sister Molly, who was her fathers daughter – her half sister. She was on good terms with Lexie, but only if she tried not to think about the fact that she was just that – her fathers' daughter. Mark's grin only widened however, as Derek clapped him on the back in a manly fashion.

"Two healthy baby girls. Come on, Addison wants to tell you their names herself." Meredith slid her hand into Derek's, squeezing it tightly as they followed Mark back to Addison's room. When they entered the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the two small, pink bundles nestled in Addison's arms. She paused in the doorway, taking in the beautiful sight. Derek then shoved her a bit, and she approached the bedside, in awe. Addison, a mother. She peeked at the two newborn girls, gasping at how beautiful they were, minutes after birth.

"Oh Addison.." She breathed, her eyes filling with tears. She wanted one. God, she wanted a baby. Maybe not right this instant, but soon. Knowing her and Derek it would happen sooner rather than later, but at least she wanted to wait until they were married. Derek took a seat at Addison's bedside, pulling Meredith down on his lap. "So Addie, darling, congratulations…" He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek, giving her a smile. After all they had been through in the past two years, he was thrilled to see her happy with her life. "We're dying to know their names!" Meredith blurted out, blushing sheepishly. Addison looked up at Mark and he nodded, giving her the okay.

"This one," Addison said, touching the head of the twin in her right arm, "Is Sophia Meredith Sloane." Meredith felt her eyes watering again as she reached out to touch the little girl who now had her name. "She's beautiful," she murmured, as Addison gently reached out, indicating for her to take the baby. Meredith took her with confident arms, cradling the warm bundle as Derek wrapped his strong arms around her, imagining her with their own child someday.

"And this one," Addison continued, "Is Chloe Marie Sloane." Meredith's gaze landed on the other newborn; an exact replica of her sister, down to the wet, wispy strands of hair plastering her head. A nurse was busying herself around the babies, tugging caps on to keep in body heat, taking vitals, etc. She bit her lip as she looked down at the baby in her arms once again; Sophia Meredith. They were going to be stunning children, Mere could already tell.


	19. Save The Last Dance For Me

After a month of spending a lot of time with Addison, and her gorgeous, red-headed baby girls, it was coming even closer to her wedding. In fact, it was the night before the Grey-Shepherd nuptials, and Meredith found herself in her bedroom with Cristina, her stomach tied into knots. She hadn't been feeling well the past few days, but had simply chalked it up to nerves and stress related to the wedding. Nausea had threatened her at sporadic points during the day, but she had never actually had to rush to the bathroom to vomit. She figured once the wedding was over, this feeling of malaise would pass, and she'd be herself again.

Cristina, on the other hand, had very different thoughts as to what could be wrong with her…but kept those thoughts in her head. She didn't want to worry Meredith with her idea, which she knew would plague her person greatly. So, she kept quiet about it as she flitted about Meredith's bedroom, rummaging through her jewelry box in search of the perfect jewels for the rehearsal dinner that evening…which was to take place in the enormous dining room of their own house. Since the wedding was at the Grey-Shepherd home, the rehearsal would obviously be there, so why not the dinner, too? The dining room was large enough to hold everyone in the wedding, along with Derek's family and Meredith's 'family', which she still referred to her father and sisters as.

Meredith moved in front of the mirror, gazing at her reflection. She was a different person than she was when she first met Derek. She still wasn't a tall, leggy, designer diva like Addison, but she was getting there in a sense. A black, slinky, Gucci dress with halter strings tied in a bow at the nape of her neck hugged her slim, petite body. Her light brown curls, normally unruly and flying everywhere, had been tamed into an elegant French twist, held in place with a slightly ornate, Shepherd-family heirloom pearl comb. Another Shepherd-family heirloom graced her wrist, in the form of a pearl and diamond bracelet. Her feet were encased in intricate, strappy, four-inch Manolo Blahnik stilettos. When Cristina had seen her, she had snorted and made a snarky comment about how she was being groomed for the role of She-Shepherd – big-name benefits, charities, whatever came with being the wife of the top neurosurgeon in the country, soon to be chief of surgery. Standing in front of that mirror, however, she knew she hadn't changed entirely. The mischevious, flirty look that so-often was reflected in her eyes was still there, and it seemed to be more apparent than ever. A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts, but she continued to study her reflection in the mirror, not out of conceit, but out of marvel at the woman she had become. She didn't notice Cristina slip out, as Derek quietly slipped in. In fact, she didn't notice him until he sidled up behind her, his strong arms sliding around her waist as he trailed kisses down her neck. She gasped audibly, turning around to face him. In her heels, she was a lot closer to his height, but still tiny. She grinned, however, her manicured nails fingering the soft, snow white fabric of his dress shirt. She opened her mouth to say something, to tell him how sexy he looked, but it was he who spoke first.

"You look….wow, Meredith. You are more gorgeous than I ever thought possible." He pulled her into a kiss which took her breath away, cementing her feet to the floor and yet turning her legs into jelly. Her fingers grazed through his hair, toying through his adorable black curls…before stopping herself and pulling away.

"Derek!" She hissed, her voice rising in a panic, something he adored so much. "We can't! Not when everyone…YOUR MOTHER IS DOWNSTAIRS, DEREK!" She shrieked audibly, her right hand flying up to press against her lips in complete mortification. "What if she came up? What if they all heard us!?" She giggled, smacking his arm lightly as his mystifying blue eyes gazed at her, a smirk curling onto his lips.

"Why, Dr. Shepherd, you have dirty in your eyes!"

"Why, Dr. Grey, I'm surprised you don't!"

She continued to stand there, giggling, until the changing of the clock caught her eyes. "Shit, Derek! It's six! The rehearsal has to start now!" And with that, she grabbed his hand, still giggling like crazy, and the two stumbled down the wide, twisting staircase that led to the entrance hall of their large home. Of course, everyone was gathered down in the formal living room already, and an intense blush immediately sprung to her cheeks as everyone turned to look at the pair, who were known for their sexual antics.

"We weren't – there was no….Look. The clothes were on. My hair is still perfect. We were being good!" Derek squeezed her waist, chasing her lips for another kiss. "Meredith, darling, I do believe my mother could have lived another day without hearing those words from your lips." She blushed deeper than before, if that were possible, catching the eye of his mother, who simply smiled at the two. The reverend, however, cleared his throat, catching the attention of Derek and Meredith, finally.

"May we commence the rehearsal, if you please?"

* * *

A/N: Enjoy, readers! I plan to finish writing the story tonight; I may or may not post the rest of it tonight. There's two more chapters to post up, and one of them is nearly finished. The other is an epilogue of sorts; there will be a sequel, however! Read and review, please! 


	20. Till Kingdom Come

The rehearsal went smoothly, of course, with Meredith using the annoying beribboned hat and bouquet, made by Izzie at the bridal shower she insisted she register for, and show up to, to aid in the silly festivities of the wedding eve. There seemed to be hundreds of people at the house, when in reality it was simply Derek, Meredith, his nieces, nephews, sisters, brother-in-laws, mother, Addison, Mark, Izzie, Alex, George, Callie, Cristina, Thatcher, Lexie, and Mollie. Having long since reconciled with her father, Thatcher was ready and willing to give his oldest daughter away. The night had been spent sharing stories, drinking wine and champagne, and generally being happy and content with life at the present time.

The next morning, however…

"Ugh," Meredith moaned, sitting up in bed and pressing her fingertips to her temple. Sunlight was flooding in through the tall windows of her bedroom, and she knew it was her wedding day. As far as she was concerned at the moment however, she wanted to curl back up in bed and die. Her head was pounding against her skull, and her stomach had never felt worse – not even the night Addison had first showed up could surpass how she felt at the moment. She moaned in agony, her stomach seemingly ripping her apart from the inside. In the next moment, however, she sprung from the bed with a hand clapped over her mouth, stumbling across discarded heels in the bedroom. Once in the bathroom, she couldn't even shut the door. Kneeling on the floor, she leaned over the pristinely white toilet, puking up everything that she had seemingly eaten in the past week. After the first attack, she leaned back with her head on the Jacuzzi bathtub, closing her eyes as the cool porcelain soothed her. She still felt sick, but perhaps it was just nerves. She really did not have much to drink the night before, and anything she did have was not tequila. The source of her illness was boggling to her, seeing as how this was not the first time she had felt this way – it was the first time, however, that she actually threw up.

A disheveled figure appeared in the doorway – it was Cristina, who had fallen asleep in the bed with Meredith the night before. Mere looked up at her, feeling cold and clammy despite the sweat trickling down the back of her neck. Cristina simply raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking for an explanation.

"Cris...I feel like crap. I threw up, and I still feel sick. Oh my god, what if it's nerves? Am I really that nervous about all of this!?" She would forever be a nervous rambler, although Derek tended to list it among her redeeming qualities.

Cristina pursed her lips, biting back the words and thoughts that ran through her mind.

"Um, I'm sure you just ate something bad, Mere, or you're nervous. Seriously, you're okay. Now get up, wash your face, and put clothes on before Addison barges in here, yelling about holding up the hair lady."

Meredith stood up and inhaled deeply, slowly letting out the breath before doing as Cristina instructed her to. She was getting married today, no matter what.

* * *

Once again, Meredith found herself standing in front of her mirror. This time, however, she was surrounded by her bridal party, and she knew Derek would not, and could not, sneak up behind her and calm her frazzled nerves. The bedroom buzzed with activity of the five bridesmaids – Nancy, Addison, Izzie, Lexie, and her maid of honor, Cristina. Nancy's little girl, Gemma, resembled a six year old princess, with her brown hair arranged in perfect, glossy curls piled on her head, a crystal comb pushed into the underside of it. Her cascading gown was accented with a silken sash of lavender, the exact shade of the bridesmaids gowns. Meredith always felt a stab of motherly instinct towards Gemma, and couldn't wait until she and Derek had children of their own to spoil and groom. All too soon, however, Addison approached her, startling her from her reverie. 

"Meredith…it's time."

Mere nodded in response, turning to the group and taking her flowers off the chaise, where she had placed the bouquet of white roses and gardenias. She smiled at her bridal party, feeling a flutter in her stomach of excitement and nerves.

"Well, what are you people waiting for!?" She exclaimed, her eyes flashing with laughter, "I want to go get married!"

The group made their way down the stairs, where Meredith's father waited for her. Everyone else was already outside, out of sight so that they could not see her until she walked down the aisle, which was a stone pathway that ultimately ended at the dock of their lake, where the wedding arch stood. The bridesmaids and little Gemma assumed their positions, as Meredith and her father linked arms and stood at the end of the line. As the music started to play, and the bridal party started the journey down the aisle, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She was doing it, she was getting married! Married to Derek Shepherd, the love of her life. Finally, it was her turn. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the house, turning the corner of the path with her father, and feeling the eyes of every single guest lock onto her, their collective gasps sounding in the otherwise quiet of the land. She forced herself to look up, to look at Derek, and she regretted doing so. He was crying, with silent tears falling down his cheeks as he watched his perfect bride get closer and closer to him…until finally, her father was lifting the veil, kissing her cheek, and placing her hand in Derek's. She barely heard the words of the reverend, and automatically recited what was directed towards her. The ceremony was a complete blur, and the next thing she knew, she had a ring on her finger, and Derek was pulling her closer and closer to him, as their lips finally met in their first kiss as a married couple.

* * *

"I now present to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Derek Shepherd!" As the golden couple waltzed through the opening in the pavilion, the sound of catcalls, clapping, whistles, and cheers echoed throughout their land and up to the gloriously setting sun, which was slowly and gradually disappearing behind the lake. When they reached the center of the dance floor, he spun her around slightly and took her hands in his, pulling her close as the lights dimmed and the romantic sounds of their wedding song flowed through the speakers. 

_One... two..._

_Steal my heart... and hold my tongue_

_I feel my time... my time has come_

_Let me in... unlock the door_

_I never felt this way before…_

The hem of her dress grazed the floor, as she lovingly looked into his eyes, seeing herself reflected in the deep ocean of sapphire blue that mesmerized her.

_And the wheels just keep on turning_

_The drummer begins to drum_

_I don't know which way I'm going_

_I don't know which way I've come_

His hands wrapped around her petite, delicate body, as he inhaled the familiar lavender scent of her hair. She was his. Finally, after nearly two years of the thrill of the chase, she was his.

_Hold my head... inside your hands_

_I need someone... who understands_

_I need someone... someone who hears_

_For you I've waited all these years_

"I love you so much," she whispered to him, tears springing to her eyes for the second time that day. She was lost in his gaze, and in the moment – she forgot they were being watched by nearly one hundred people.

_For you I'd wait... 'Til kingdom come_

_Until my day... my day is done_

_and say you'll come... and set me free_

_just say you'll wait... you'll wait for me_

He pressed a tender, light kiss to her forehead, giving her hand a tight squeeze as he caught the eye of his mother, who was crying, naturally.

_In your tears... and in your blood_

_In your fire... and in your flood_

_I hear you laugh... I heard you sing_

_I wouldn't change a single thing_

She quietly, teasingly, sang along with the song to him, a smile of pure happiness and exhilaration never leaving her lips.

_For you I'd wait... 'Til kingdom come_

_Until my days... my days are done_

_Say you'll come... and set me free_

_Just say you'll wait... you'll wait for me_

As the song ended, Derek drew Meredith into a kiss that took her breath away, and the guests around them erupted into cheers. He lifted her into his arms and dipped her slightly, placing yet another kiss on her lips. When her feet touched the floor again, she breathed again, sneaking another kiss. They thought life could not get any more perfect at that moment.

_Just say you'll wait...you'll wait for me..._

* * *

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this story for you guys - it was my first, and it certainly won't be my last! Thank you for all the positive feedback and encouragement I've received from you guys, you've been absolutely amazing. There is an epilogue after this chapter, but this is basically the end! Song is Till Kingdom Come by Coldplay, which was my sisters wedding song, and where I got the inspiration and idea to use it! 


	21. Love Will Come Through

After the wedding, Meredith and Derek both had two weeks off, which made them a very lucky pair of recently married surgeons. They had decided upon Martinique for their honeymoon, for the seclusion, sunshine, heat, and resorts. The first week had been spent with Meredith feeling queasy again, much like she had the day of the wedding. However, there had been no vomiting, so she chalked it up to the abundance of sunshine, which she certainly wasn't used to. As a doctor, however, she knew the signs…she was just too afraid to have her suspicions confirmed.

On the first day of the second week, Derek suddenly disappeared for 45 minutes, without mentioning where he was going. When he returned, it was to find Meredith with her head practically in the toilet, clutching it for dear life and throwing up the contents of her stomach for the past few days. He grabbed a washcloth from the stack of clean towels, soaked it in cold water, and caught her in his arms when she leaned back. Wiping the cold, wet cloth over her clammy face and neck, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, smoothing her hair from her face.

"Meredith, darling…I brought you a pregnancy test."

Her breath caught in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes. So he suspected the same thing. The smile on his face, however, told her that if it was a positive test, everything would be alright. They would live their lives and prepare to be parents. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to sit up, as he reached for the plastic bag containing the test. Pulling it out of the bag, he handed it to her as he stood up, leaving the bathroom. She understood that she was to take the test, and see if she were pregnant. Upon opening the box and doing a quick scan of the directions, she peed on the stick, set the test on the bathroom sink, and left the bathroom. She picked up her watch and set the timer on the test for five minutes, walking to the bed and sinking into Derek's arms. In five minutes, they would know the results that would determine the rest of their lives.

She jumped slightly when the timer went off, having zoned out. She wanted to look at the test. She wanted to be the one to tell Derek the news that would potentially make him even happier than they already were. She pushed herself off the bed and walked into the bathroom, biting her lip out of nervousness. She picked up the test with a tissue and examined it, as Derek struggled to read her expression. After a moment of this, his irritation grew.

"Well, Mere, what does it say!?"

She snapped out of her daze, her gray eyes showing a light he had yet to see since she had been so ill.

"It's blue, Derek."

* * *

So, that's it! The end of my story. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope you will all stick around for the sequel!! Here is a list of songs and who they are by, which I used in the chapter titles:

Redeemed - Charlotte Martin

All I Want Is You - U2

Here In Your Arms - HelloGoodbye

Sparks - Coldplay

Livin' On a Prayer - Jon Bon Jovi

Your Body Is a Wonderland - John Mayer

Affirmation - Savage Garden

This One's For the Girls - Martina MacBride

I Think I Love You - David Cassidy

The Sweetest Thing - U2

Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's

City of Blinding Lights - U2

Mysterious Ways - U2

She's Got a Way - Billy Joel

Heartburn - Alicia Keys

Wish I - Jem

In My Place - Coldplay

Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol

Save the Last Dance For Me - Van Morrison

Till' Kingdom Come - Coldplay

Love Will Come Through - Travis


	22. Song List

I figured many of you were wondering what the songs were that I used in the titles, and who sings them…so here's the list!

Redeemed – Charlotte Martin

All I Want Is You – U2

Here In Your Arms – HelloGoodbye

Sparks – Coldplay

Livin' on a Prayer – Jon Bon Jovi

Your Body Is A Wonderland – John Mayer

Affirmation – Savage Garden

This One's For The Girls – Martina MacBride

I Think I Love You – John Cassidy

The Sweetest Thing – U2

Hey There Delilah – Plain White T's

City of Blinding Lights – U2

Mysterious Ways – U2

She's Got A Way – Billy Joel

Heartburn – Alicia Keys

Wish I – Jem

In My Place – Coldplay

Open Your Eyes – Snow Patrol

Save The Last Dance For Me – The Drifters

Till Kingdom Come – Coldplay

Love Will Come Through – Travis

Enjoy!


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